9 crested ibises in Sado killed, 1 critically hurt+

TOKYO, March 10 Kyodo -
Nine crested ibises have died and one remains critically injured at the Sado
Japanese Crested Ibis Conservation Center in Sado, Niigata Prefecture, after
being attacked in their enclosure apparently by an outside predator, the
Environment Ministry said Wednesday.

The 10 were in a program for release into the wild in September, along with
another female ibis that was unharmed. Two male and seven female ibises were
killed and a male was severely injured.
''They must have been attacked by a small animal, such as a weasel,'' an
official of the ministry's Wildlife Division said on the basis of footage from
a surveillance camera and footprints in the enclosure. ''We took all possible
measures (to protect them), but the animal may have found a hole to break into
the cage.''
The official also indicated that the incident would likely delay the release
program for a total of 21 crested ibises.
After a center official became aware Wednesday morning that no ibises had
appeared on a monitoring screen, a veterinarian found the birds with bites on
their bodies, according to the center.
The surveillance camera caught an animal entering the 4,160-square-meter
enclosure at around 6 p.m. Tuesday. But it is not possible to identify the
animal from the footage, officials of the center said.
It was the first attack by an outside animal on crested ibises in a protective
program in Japan and the ministry plans to consider whether a 24-hour
surveillance program should be put in place.
The crested ibis, which used to inhabit extensive areas of East Asia, has been
almost wiped out as a result of hunting and environmental disruption. Japan
designated the bird a national natural treasure in the early 1950s. Wild ibises
had virtually become extinct in Japan by early 1981.
Since 2008, Japan has been reintroducing the species to the wild after trying
to raise them in captivity.
==Kyodo
2010-03-11 00:09:02


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